Sat Dec 27 17:52:22 UTC 2025: Chennai, India – December 27, 2025 – Dental surgeons working on contract in Tamil Nadu’s Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are staging a hunger strike in Chennai today, demanding permanent positions and better pay. The doctors, who have been serving on a temporary basis for up to 20 years with a consolidated salary of ₹34,000, are calling for the state government to regularize their employment through a special qualifying examination conducted by the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB).
According to the Doctors’ Association for Social Equality and the Tamil Nadu PHC Dental Surgeons’ Association, current staffing levels in state hospitals fall far short of Indian Public Health Standards, with only a fraction of the required dental surgeons employed, and over half of those on contract. The associations highlight the disparity in pay compared to other states, where entry-level salaries for dental surgeons are significantly higher.
The doctors are also demanding job security, paid time off, medical leave, and maternity benefits. They are urging the government to cease the practice of hiring dental surgeons on a contract basis and to implement a 2016 Government Order that promised to regularize contractual doctors and dental surgeons.
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